Open Wounds: My memoir as a brown-water U.S. Navy sailor in the Vietnam War

by Robert W. Smith, Peter F. Morneault, Cathy T. Morneault (Illustrator)

After 50 years of keeping the tormenting memories of the Vietnam War at bay, Robert W. Smith unveils the horrific experiences he lives with daily. He weaves over 130 letters and pictures he sent to his family during a 15-month tour of duty between 1967 and 1968 in South Vietnam into a cohesive and flowing story. Open Wounds transforms disjointed examples of physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual hardships into an engaging journey that modern-day military families easily empathize with. Ironically, Smith opens the very wounds that haunt him while sharing the letters, meant only for his wife, which bring his readers on harrowing patrols of the brown-water rivers of the Mekong Delta. Open Wounds is a book that highlights the Vietnam War era but carries relevance to the pains of modern-day war. Smith will donate 100% of the proceeds from Open Wounds to a 501(c)3 organization in New England which helps veterans adjust to living a civilian life again. Your purchase of this book will directly help others heal their open wounds.

190 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 1, 2018

About the author

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Reviews

[Chris Bohl · Rating 5 out of 5]

This writing is real world and derived from letters to his wife throughout his tour. All the events he speaks about are directly correlated to letters either written or received. His letters to his wife were quite complete when describing a patrol or ancillary events. He expands upon the letter's contents revealing much more information about the patrol's outcome. It is obvious that he speaks from his heart throughout this book and it sounds as though the writing was deeply cathartic. It was also a very interesting and captivating read because what he wrote about was real and not fictional. Very well put together, interesting events, and a most interesting person. Thanks for the writing. I enjoyed the book immensely.

[Sheldon Goff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book. Well put together from letters written home by someone serving with the Brown Water Navy.
Day to day actions, and his life as he told it to his wife at home.
I read this because my father was also Riverine Navy and it interests me.
He doesn't really speak about it, and I understand why.